Dr Alkystis Phinikaridou

Dr. Alkystis Phinikaridou is a Lecturer in the Biomedical Engineering Department at King’s College London. Dr. Phinikaridou received her PhD from Boston University in 2009. She joined the Biomedical Engineering Department at Kings College London in 2010 as Postdoctoral Research Associate and became Lecturer in Imaging Biology in 2013. Dr. Phinikaridou’s research focuses on Molecular Imaging of Cardiovascular Diseases including atherosclerosis, aortic aneurysms, thrombosis, and myocardial infarction using MRI and PET/MRI in preclinical animal models. Her main areas of research include endothelial dysfunction, extracellular matrix turnover, and thrombosis. She also works towards translating the findings from the preclinical studies into the clinical field and bridging the gap between basic research and clinical applications. RESEARCH INTERESTS Dr. Phinikaridou and her group uses experimental models to identify new biological targets for molecular imaging, design new contrast agents, and test the merits of both clinically approved and newly developed contrast agents to investigate the biological processes underlying different cardiovascular diseases. The main imaging biomarkers are endothelial permeability and dysfunction, extracellular matrix remodeling, including elastin, tropoelastin and collagen, and the organisation and resolution of thrombus. In addition to the preclinical work, the group also works on understanding the uptake mechanisms of clinically approved contrast agents and translate the preclinical findings into the clinical arena. Recently, the group initiated the first in man study that aims in the MRI characterization of thrombus in patients with deep vein thrombosis and how does it relate to the outcome of endovascular treatment. The research is funded by the BHF project grant (PG/15/89/31793), the NIHR and the King’s Commercialization Institute. RESEARCH PROJECTS Molecular imaging of dysfunctional matrix remodelling in arterial disease. Multi-sequence thrombus imaging in patients with deep vein thrombosis. Multi-sequence atherosclerotic plaque characterisation imaging in patients with carotid atherosclerosis. Molecular imaging of vulnerable plaque.